Protest bus stops in Morristown to press Congressman to support immigration reform

Morristown was Friday’s first stop for a busload of immigration reform advocates, who visited the office of Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-11th Dist.) to urge him to support legislation giving undocumented workers a “pathway to citizenship.”

“It’s the right thing for the country, keeping families together, allowing youths brought here through no fault of their own to pursue the American dream. And it’s the right thing for America, economically,” said Morristown resident Kim Hurdman, the Morris County organizer for Organizing for Action.

The nonprofit was a spinoff of President Obama’s 2012 campaign. Friday’s OFA bus tour was scheduled to visit offices of seven Republican members of Congress across northern New Jersey

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Rep. Frelinghuysen was not present to speak with the demonstrators. The Congressman’s staff has met with OFA members during the summer, however, Kim acknowledged.

In addition to immigration, the OFA focuses on gun violence prevention, affordable healthcare, and climate change.

In June, the Democrat-controlled Senate passed an immigration bill that includes beefed-up border security and a 13-year pathway to citizenship–including fines, fees and taxes–for those here illegally. But the measure’s fate is uncertain in the GOP-led House, which reconvenes from its summer break next week.

Some opponents of the bill contend a special path to citizenship is unfair to people who have followed the rules all along.

We called Rep. Frelinghuysen’s office for his views on the issue, and will update this posting when we get a response.